LISLE, Ill. - The Benedictine University Softball team, picked to finish third in the preseason Northern Athletics Conference poll, opens the 2010 season in Florida on Sunday with a pair of games. The Eagles will play 10 games in Florida before returning home. 

Benedictine will face some tough competition in Florida. Carthage is the first opponent of the season in a game at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday. Carthage won 25 games last year and placed fourth in the CCIW. The game will be the season opener for both teams. Trine University waits for a game at 11:00 a.m. Trine has won three consecutive titles in the MIAA  and will open its season against the Eagles. The Thunder participated in the NCAA Regionals in 2009.

The Eagles round out the trip in Florida with a date against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Coast Guard is currently ranked ninth in the NFCA Top 25 Poll. Benedictine will also face a 30-win team last season in Bluffton University. Other teams on the Florida schedule include Waynesburg, Wittenberg, St. Francis, Simpson, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the College of Mt. St. Joseph.  

Benedictine won 31 games last season and was 20-4 in the Northern Athletics Conference. The Eagles had win streaks of eight and 10 games at two different points in the season.

Brittany Adcox (Plainfield, Ill.), the 2009 NAC Freshman of the Year, anchors a strong core of returners. Adcox was also a First Team All-NAC selection. Laura Christensen (Orland Park, Ill.) and Kara Walsh (Oak Forest, Ill.) are both back after being selected to the 2009 All-Freshman Team. The first home contest for Benedictine is a doubleheader against Elmhurst College scheduled for March 18.